I shuddered when a friend gave me a subscription to Sky & Telescope. Nerd that I am, I knew that it would lead to a bad case of telescope fever - the desire to acquire bulky, expensive optics.
Mercifully, I came to my senses before I opted for a 10-inch electronic monster. The reality is that I live in the suburbs near sea level where the seeing isn't great. I needed a scope that offers solid viewing despite streetlight glow and turbulent sea air. I bought a Tele Vue Pronto.
This astonishingly versatile, high-performance refractor functions as both a terres-trial spotting scope and a powerful wide-field astronomical instrument. Optics are of obsessively high quality, yielding 212 line pairs per millimeter of resolution - higher than most telephoto lenses. It magnifies objects in excess of 200 times, powerful enough to view globular clusters and galaxies. The wide-field lens immerses you in the scenery, be it a deep-sky star field or a falcon's perch half a mile away.
Pronto is devoid of electronics. Every cent went into optics and beautifully machined design. So, long after that 10-inch techno- beast is a relic, my Pronto will be an old and reliable companion.
Tele Vue Pronto: US$1,395. Tele Vue Optics Inc.: +1 (914) 357 9552.
